A Queen Among Darkness

Chapter Three: Isolde POV

This sucks. I know I said I’m not one to complain, but this sucks. Even without being in this cell, I wouldn’t be able to heal and at this rate, I don’t know which might kill me first, blood loss or infection. I get the feeling these assholes don’t really care about the hygienic conditions of their dungeons. It’s not like venators have health and safety inspections. No, that would imply they cared about our well-being, or saw us as human. To them, we’re less than human. They would show more respect to a dung beetle than they would to one of us.

The thing is, we may be supernatural, but we are still human too. If you looked at our blood you would still see the clear signs of the human genome. We just have some additional cells as well. Excluding irshiusts and raitruums, we all come from humans, we just have a few extra quirks. But do they care about that? No. Why? Because they all drank the Kool-Aid and now believe the sales pitch like it’s f*****g gospel. It’s equally sad and pathetic.

Thankfully I’m pulled from the rabbit hole my thoughts were going down when I see two venators drag in just the person who I’ve been waiting for. I don’t move, I just watch as they throw the 6’5” man into the cell next to mine, lock it and walk away as they complain to each other about having to touch such filth. I slowly – with barely any strength in my limbs – force myself to sit up as my injuries have me biting my lips together to stop myself from screaming in pain.

I watch as the man with warm ebony skin covering muscles that would make the Grecians jealous, a shaved head and a slight goatee, manages to get to his feet and charge at the bars of his cell.

“LET ME THE f**k OUT OF HERE!” He roars, grabbing the bars and instantly regretting it. He jumps back as his hands begin to sizzle from their contact with the silver bars. Each cell is designed to hold a different supernatural being. Mine is designed for makkares, his is designed for a mutolupus.

“Best not to do that again,” I warn, “You should save your strength.”

“Who are you?” He asks with a clear American accent, walking a little closer but smartly not getting too close to the bars. His white button-down shirt is stained with blood, but to be honest his shirt and black slacks look like they’re fighting to stay on his body. One wrong move and they might rip. Wolves really do love to work out.

“Would you believe me if I said I’m here to get you out?”

He carefully looks me over, his warm brown eyes filled with concern as he takes in the state of me, “No offence, but I don’t think you know how rescues work.”

I chuckle, which quickly turns into a coughing fit and me clutching my side, wincing from the pain. I take slow breaths to settle down. “That is a fair statement to make. My timing was incredibly poor. But I can still help you get out of here. If you’re interested.”

He looks at me, carefully weighing up his options, which I’m sure by now he realises are few and far between. He probably can’t even communicate with his wolf right now, so that other voice he’s used to turning to for guidance can’t even help him now. It would be an extremely jarring experience. To have a companion who is with you from conception, to suddenly be taken from you. I can just imagine how alone and empty that would make you feel. Suppressing a mutolupus’ wolf is just cruel, but then again these fuckers are the epitome of cruelty.

“So what’s the plan?” He asks, squatting down to my level.

With great exertion I remove the pendant from around my neck and carefully pass it to him through the bars, trying not to let them touch my skin.

“Take this,” I instruct.

He carefully takes the pendant and holds it in his palm, “This some kind of magical gemstone?”

I snort, “Nah, dragon’s breath opals look pretty, but they’re just glass. That being said, I did fuse some of my magic into it before I came here.”

“So why didn’t you use it?”

“Reason number one, I was waiting for you, and reason number two, my magic is neutralised in this cell, but in yours, it’ll have a chance to wake up. Get the pendant as close to the window as you can so when it becomes sunrise, the sun will give it a boost.”

“Then what?” He asks, getting up and making his way over to the window, sitting on the floor as close to it as he can without touching the bars.

“Then toss it at the bars and watch everything go boom,” I say tiredly.

He frowns, “How long have you been in here?”

“A couple of days.”

“You let yourself get captured and tortured just so you can save me? Why?” He asks in confusion.

I shrug, “I had a vision of you dying here. I don’t know who you are, but the fact I saw that meant I was supposed to stop it from happening and that’s all I need to know.”

He goes quiet for a moment, turning the pendant over contemplatively. “I didn’t know makkares had the gift of prophecy, I thought only Zarseti had that.”

“Only certain makkares do, but my gifts aren’t at the level of the Gods, maybe if they were I could have avoided the torture part of my stay,” I smile playfully.

“I’m Alpha Jasper Clyborne of the Aurum Obscuro Pack,” he greets warmly.

I debate whether or not to give my name but then decide, f**k it. “Isolde Laurier supposed High Priestess of the makkari,” I reply, watching him carefully. Doesn’t even take a full second for his eyebrows to shoot up to the top of his head.

“Your…”

“I’m guessing you’ve heard of me,” I say dryly as I lean my head back.

“I had heard you were responsible for aiding in the k********g of the nagata Empress,” he says in a low and cautious voice. My eyes blow wide with surprise. This is f*****g news to me. What the f**k has that b***h framed me for this time?

“There’s a new Empress?”

His eyebrows furrow in confusion, “She claims to have met you.”

I snort wryly. “I’m sure she thinks she did.”

“They say you’re responsible for the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of people,” he says in an accusatory tone. His words send anger and disgust through my veins, filling my limbs with enough strength to allow me to ball my hands into fists.

“Believe what you want to believe.”

“I’d like to believe the truth,” he retorts.

“No one wants the truth. They want what’s convenient.”

“Maybe some do, but I sure as s**t would like to know why the woman who supposedly helped kidnap an acquaintance of mine is now trying to break me out of a hunter’s prison in Mexico,” he says in a softer tone. I can see why the Gods would want to protect this one, I can tell he’s a good soul. “Listen, when those fuckers injected me with lupine, my first thoughts were of my Luna. She’s pregnant with our second pup and all I could think was that I’d never get to see my daughter be born. My animai would have to give birth all alone and raise our children alone. That I’d never get to see my son become Alpha. Then I got tossed in here and meet you, someone who is offering me my only chance at salvation. Giving me a chance to see my family again. So if there’s an explanation for why the two versions of you don’t add up, I’d like to hear it,” he says sincerely.

I look at him carefully and sigh in resignation, “There aren’t two versions. There’s me, and the b***h who goes around pretending to be me.”

“What do you mean?” He asks with deep interest.

“It’s a glamour spell. She’s been doing it for centuries. Takes my identity, causes some s**t and sets me up to take the fall. Pretty genius plan. Means whenever eyewitnesses report to the Delegation that they saw me killing someone–”

“All they’d sense is the truth because that’s exactly what they saw,” he completes my sentence as realisation dawns on his face. “Why have you never come forward? If you could just speak to the Delegation they’d know you’re telling the truth,” he says encouragingly.

“The makkares have a kill-on-sight order for me, that’s how much they hate me – not that I blame them. There’s no guarantee the Delegation would even believe me. Sure, they’d feel the truth, but it’s not impossible to lie and it be detected as truth. Anything can become the truth if you believe it enough,” I point out.

“But you are telling the truth.”

“How do you know? For all you know, I just made that whole thing up,” I say as I quirk my eyebrow.

“I’m not gullible. I’m good at reading people, and psycho bitches who go around murdering people don’t let themselves get tortured to near death to save a stranger. Good people do that,” he says compassionately.

I can feel tears pricking my eyes at his words. It’s been a long time since someone believed that I was innocent, but it changes nothing. Too many people want me dead and I’m sure the evidence against me is enormous. My words wouldn’t be enough, and with too many demanding my head, I’m not sure I’d make it to the Kartheca alive to tell my truth.

“Thank you for your kind words, you don’t know how much I needed to hear them, but it’s best you stay out of the matter. People have a tendency to die because of me. Don’t go risking never seeing your family again over a stranger,” I implore him.

“But–”

“You’re not here to solve my problems, I’m here to get you back to your family, so let’s focus on that, okay?” I say, looking right into his eyes. He sighs and nods. I relax and lean my head back and close my eyes trying to save what strength I have because, in a few hours, I’m going to need every ounce I can muster.

***

“Isolde? Isolde, wake up.” I hear someone whisper. I slowly open my eyes and take a moment to let the blurry figure to my left come into focus. It’s Alpha Jasper, with something glowing in his hand. “Is this supposed to be happening?” He asks.

My vision finally clears up and I can see the pendant in his hand glowing brightly. I smile and nod, “How long did you have it in the sun?”

“A few hours. You looked like you needed the rest, and the humans have been busy,” he says with a disgusted look on his face. I can guess what they’ve been busy with. “So what do I do now?”

“If you’re ready to get out of here, then stand back and throw it at the bars. We have to be quick because they’ll send an army down here to stop us, and each one will be packing everything they need to kill us,” I warn him.

“Boom and run. Got it.” He gets to his feet and presses himself back against the cell wall as I struggle to my feet, using the brick wall behind me for support. Jasper takes in a deep breath and hurls the pendant at the floor of the bars to his cell and the moment the pendant shatters, we’re forced to shield ourselves as the bars explode with extreme force. I cough and wave away the dust and debris now filling the air as alarms begin to blare around us. “Just how much power are you packing?” He asks, looking at me with wide eyes.

I smile, “And that’s not even my full strength.”

“Good thing I’m on your good side then,” he says, stepping out of his cell and walking over to mine. It takes him a few heaves, but he’s able to rip the gate off my cell. If he was at full strength he could have done that with ease, only reason he was even able to now is because the explosion weakened the bars.

Jasper steps into my cell and carefully wraps his arm around me allowing me to put my weight on him as he guides me out of the cell. I can hear the cries for help from the other prisoners, and I know I can’t leave them in here.

“We need to get them out of here, but I’m not strong enough.”

“Can makkares absorb someone else’s energy?” He asks.

I knit my eyebrows in confusion, “Technically yes, but–”

“Then take some of mine. I wasn’t in there long enough for it to zap all my energy, and the lupine has already worked its way out of my system. It’s not much, but surely the energy of an Alpha should give you enough magic to get these people out of here,” he suggests.

I smile at him, “I can see why you’re an Alpha. Are you sure about this? You don’t have much. I’d have to take almost everything you have to give myself enough of a boost to get us out of here,” I warn him.

“Those guards will be down here any second. If it means we all get home, then take every last f*****g drop,” he says with strong conviction.

I shrug, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I lay my hand over his heart and can feel the Mark of the Alpha beneath my fingers. I draw on the tiny flicker of magic inside of me struggling to stay alive. I call it forth and reach out for the energy inside of Jasper. It’s warm and has my mouth tasting like marshmallows. As I pull it into me I feel the flicker of magic inside me growing in strength. I feel my eyes begin to change to obsidian pools with silver pupils and the more energy I pull from him the more my body begins to glow with a purple light. Jasper is panting and soon is dropping to his knees.

I go to pull back, but he holds my hand in place. “I said every last drop,” he pants through clenched teeth. I focus harder as I hear the sounds of the guards approaching. I take as much as I need until I feel just strong enough to do what is needed. Jasper can barely keep his head up, but he’ll be okay.

I gently cup his cheek, “If I’d taken any more, you’d be dead.”

At that moment, I see eleven armed guards storm down into the dungeon about to aim their guns in our direction, but I’m quicker on the draw. I raise my hand in their direction throwing a burst of bright purple energy at them, sending them all hurtling back crashing into walls and bars and falling to the ground in unconsciousness.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I got here,” I smile. I look down both ends of the corridor and with a wave of my hands, every cell door unlocks and opens. I form a small ball of purple energy in my palm and throw it down the other end of the corridor blasting a hole in the brick wall. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for travelling air makkari, you will find your exit is the gaping hole behind me. Please make your exit in an orderly fashion, but as quick as you can so we can all get the f**k out of here,” I say cheerfully.

One by one, injured people exit their cells and help each other down the corridor and out through the hole I created. With great difficulty, I reach down and wrap Jasper’s arm around me and help him to his feet, “Come on, I’m not leaving without the person I came for.” Though it causes me great pain, I help Jasper out of the dungeon to where everyone is waiting on the grass outside. The sun is beating down on us and I breathe it in, letting its rays replenish me and keep me going. Makkares can draw their magic from the sun, the largest source of light and energy in our solar system, and one I’m very grateful to have right now.

“What do we do now?” A woman with blood-red eyes asks me.

“I want you all to think of your homes. Focus on them hard,” I instruct.

I take in a deep breath and push my magic out towards each of them and feel for the locations their hearts are calling out to. Once I have a strong enough grasp on those locations, I conjure portals behind each and every one of them and instantly feel my magic begin to dim. Even with the sun and Alpha Jasper’s energy boost, it’s not enough. I’m burning through it too fast; my body is still too weakened from all the s**t they pumped into me and filled my cell with. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up before I burn out.

“Are you okay?” Jasper asks.

I nod, “I have opened portals for each of you. Go through them now and don’t turn back,” I instruct. Some sing their thanks before stepping through their portals, and others just jump right through, desperate to get away from this hell and return to their homes. I can’t blame them.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” says Jasper weakly.

“You helped me just as much as I helped you, now go. More guards are coming, and I might not be able to hold them off.”

He takes and squeezes my hand, “I’ll make sure everyone knows what you did.”

Instant fear catapults through me. “No! Tell people whatever you like, but you can’t tell them it was me.”

“People need to know the truth. They need to know you’re not the monster you’ve been made out to be,” he argues.

“If you do that you are putting a target on your back. People who know the truth don’t live long, trust me. You have a family and a pack who needs you, don’t be stupid,” I warn him.

He looks at me, his expression torn, “I’ll never forget what you did for us. If there’s ever a time you need something, just know you can come to me,” he says with the utmost sincerity.

I smile and squeeze his hand, “And I won’t forget the kindness you’ve shown me. Now go be with your loved ones and try not to get captured again.”

He laughs, “Good advice.” With a warm smile, he steps through the portal near him and disappears. I take a deep breath as I feel my strength waning. With a gesture from my hands, I remove all portals and now focus on creating one more for myself. As the air in front of me ripples, indicating the portal is open, I’m about to step through when something halts me in my tracks.

“Don’t f*****g move,” warns a soft, but stern Mexican voice.

Choosing not to heed the warning, I slowly turn around only to freeze in place. Standing just a few feet away is a gorgeous, bronzed goddess, standing at 5’7” and pointing a gun directly at me. I probably should be focused on the gun, but my stupid eyes are more intent on drinking up the sight of her. She has long honey-brown hair and honey-brown eyes that are staring me down like a predator would its prey. She’s wearing a tight, black leather corset with long, lace bell sleeves. The corset is rather short, revealing a very toned mid-section and ample breasts. Her pert ass is accented by the low-rise black leather pants she’s wearing and only made more pert by the black leather knee-high high-heel boots she’s wearing.

As if all of that wasn’t reason enough to stare at her, the biggest reason is the bright waves of copper energy that are radiating off her like a giant neon sign. Those waves are speaking to every nerve in my body, and already I can feel my energy starting to gain a little bit of a boost just from being in her presence.

You have got to be f*****g kidding me.

This is the moment in every romance novel when someone in my position would describe the earth moving, or say something cliché like, ‘I’ve found the light in my darkness’. Pfft. No, I just found more darkness in my darkness. After all these centuries, I finally find my animai, but as per-f*****g usual, nothing in my life ever goes right. My animai has to be a f*****g venatrix and one of the people responsible for my capture and torture. Just f*****g great. My animai is currently pointing a gun at me. Just what did I do to bring so much s**t into my life? This has to be a mistake, I can’t accept a killer for an animai, what the f**k is the Goddess thinking? As they say, mieux vaut être seul que mal accompagné.

“Look, I really don’t want to hurt you, but I am leaving one way or another,” I say calmly. Even though she’s a venatrix the very thought of hurting her even a little bit has my heart clenching in pain. Stupid animai bond.

“You must be crazy if you think I’m just going to let you walk away,” she says confidently.

“Then shoot me,” I tell her, and I’m shocked to see her hesitate. That’s when a thought pops in my head. “You didn’t even have to warn me that you were behind me, you could have just gone for the kill and gotten it over with. Why didn’t you?” I ask curiously.

She steps closer, keeping the gun firmly pointed in my direction. “Didn’t want to risk wasting a bullet. Besides, I’d like to know how you managed to break out since that should have been impossible.”

I watch her carefully. Is… is it possible she feels the bond too? I know humans are fated to supernaturals all the time, but I don’t exactly know what it feels like for them. Is she hesitating because the bond is making her hesitate?

“I don’t think you actually want to shoot me, and I don’t think you even know why. So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to leave, and we can just pretend this never happened,” I tell her.

“Take a single step, and I will shoot you,” she threatens.

“Let’s see which one of us is right then,” I say as I turn around and step through the portal. I’m halfway through when I feel a large weight crash on top of me, bringing with it jolts of static electricity as it pushes me all the way through the portal. The force, however, sends a shockwave of pain through every open wound and causes me to get a face full of dirt.